---
Chapter 2 — The Next Light
Ayanokoji sat in his sleek office, the city skyline stretching endlessly behind the floor-to-ceiling windows. He picked up his phone and sent the picture of the girl to Tsukishiro, his most trusted aide.
"I want to know everything about her. Under two hours."
Almost immediately, the reply came:
"Will be done in 1 hour."
Ayanokoji didn't move. He set the phone aside and leaned back in his chair, sipping his coffee. Time was irrelevant to him, but patience was a test he rarely failed.
An hour later, he stepped into the main building of his empire. Employees stopped mid-conversation as he passed, bowing subtly or straightening their posture. His reputation preceded him; silence followed him like a shadow.
Reaching the elevator, he pressed the button for the top floor — the CEO suite. The doors opened, and he walked in, every step calm, precise, and measured. Within minutes, Tsukishiro appeared, carrying a thick, organized file.
"What did you find out?" Ayanokoji asked without looking up.
Tsukishiro placed the file on the desk and spoke with his usual efficiency. "She is not related to your first love at all. They don't know each other's name, face, or existence. Her name is Suzune Horikita. Everything we could find is in this file. I'm going for a break."
Ayanokoji nodded silently as Tsukishiro left the room. He opened the file, flipping through pages filled with personal, professional, and academic information.
The first few pages were striking. Measurements, even down to bust, waist, and hips: 79 cm, 54 cm, 79 cm, D-cup. Details that were trivial, yet Ayanokoji absorbed everything.
Further reading revealed her academic background — she had attended ANHS and had been in Class D her entire life. A loner. Not a single friend. Not a single crush. No relationships, no lovers. She had never held hands with anyone, and apparently, not a single person truly liked her.
But intelligence? That was undeniable. Too smart for her own good, in fact. Her family, the Horikitas, treated her as a failure. Her older brother — the CEO — cared a little, but the rest ignored her. She had honesty like a weapon, willing to roast anyone who dared to insult her, yet powerless to challenge those above her in the family hierarchy. Bullying happened, but she endured it quietly.
Ayanokoji's eyes narrowed. He thought of his first love. "She is like her… but her talent hasn't been cultivated yet. She isn't strong enough to protect herself."
He flipped through the pages again, reading her history, her habits, and small details: arriving early, leaving late, meticulous in her work, yet emotionally distant from everyone around her. The girl in the picture — Suzune Horikita — was a diamond buried in sand, raw but untapped.
For a brief moment, he closed his eyes and imagined his first love's voice whispering to him:
"She can be your next light. I have always loved you."
Ayanokoji opened his eyes. The thought lingered longer than he expected. Suzune Horikita might just be the next person who could awaken something in him, like his first love once had.
He returned to the file, scanning her capabilities and weaknesses, calculating how much potential she had if properly guided. The girl could grow — grow into someone strong, intelligent, and remarkable.
"If she can become stronger… better… maybe I can even feel the warmth I felt before," he mused.
Ayanokoji closed the file carefully, setting it aside. He stood, walking slowly to the window, hands behind his back. The city lights reflected in his eyes as he stared into the distance, thinking:
"I will see if she can become greater. And I will see if… I can love her, too."
The night carried on silently outside, yet inside, Ayanokoji's mind was alive — analyzing, planning, calculating. Suzune Horikita had unknowingly stepped into his world. And he was ready to see what she could become.
---